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Star profile

76 Geminorum

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is 76 Geminorum

76 Geminorum is an orange giant about 635 light-years away, set in the field of the twins Castor and Pollux. It belongs to that cohort of suns that have crossed onto the giant branch and now wear a cool, swollen, intensely luminous atmosphere, far brighter than our own. The light defining it tonight peeled off its surface around the time Europe was first reading Cervantes.

Where it is and when to see it

76 Geminorum lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is January, when it culminates around midnight.

  • From London it culminates about 64° above the horizon.
  • From New York it culminates about 75° above the horizon.
  • From Sydney it culminates about 30° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 64° S.

It ranks no. 40 in brightness among the 74 stars of Gemini in our catalogue. To find it, start from Pollux, the brightest: it lies about 2° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 630 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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Leave your signature on 76 Geminorum

Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.

Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works

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A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.

Astronomical data for 76 Geminorum

Constellation
Gemini
Apparent magnitude
5.30
Distance
634.6 light years
Coordinates (J2000)
RA 116.029° · Dec 25.784°
Catalogue
HIP 37704 · HD 62285

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Gemini

Gemini has 74 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 74 stars in Gemini